SB 1 Helps Fund Upcoming Road Improvements

California Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) was signed into law in April 2017 and provides more than $5 billion annually to make road improvements, fill potholes, repair local streets, freeways and overpasses and invest in public transportation throughout California communities. SB 1 funds come from an additional gas tax introduced at the pump, making it a tax that the people who use the roads pay for. The State requires each City to put its funds into a Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) to ensure that the money is used for its intended purpose. The City of Goleta is thrilled to have this additional source of revenue for paving our roads.

For fiscal year 2017/18, the City of Goleta is expected to receive $176,451 from SB 1 funds. In this upcoming fiscal year, the City is scheduled to receive an estimated $526,000. The additional funds Goleta and other cities receive from SB 1 provide the ability for cities to make necessary road improvements that we otherwise may not have had the general fund money available for.

Goleta’s first project with SB 1 funds is the Cathedral Oaks Pavement Rehabilitation project. SB 1 funds will be used, along with other gas tax funds and funds set aside in the City’s budget, to pay for pavement rehabilitation of Cathedral Oaks Road from Fairview Avenue west of Carlo Drive to the San Pedro Creek bridge, and budget permitting, Cathedral Oaks west from Los Carneros Road to the Los Carneros bridge. The project approval is expected to be on the Council’s consent calendar on May 15, 2018. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the project is expected to begin work in early fall. SB 1 funds will also be used on the next phase of the project, which includes Evergreen Drive (between Cathedral Oaks and Brandon Drive), Hillview Drive and Forest Drive. The anticipated start date is spring 2019 to avoid the rainy season.